Arrow Drabbles
by oddfurball
Summary: A series of one shots and drabbles on various concepts that can be entertaining. Prompts are definitely welcome and needed.
1. Chapter 1

**Abundance of Short Skirts**

Felicity looked at herself in the mirror and she definitely did not like what she saw. The dress was too short and revealing in so many places that she could feel the cold draft sting her. The colour of the dress was a beautiful deep blue which accentuated her skin tone, the length of the dress way above her comfort zone and the plunging neck line which flaunted her assets in an unflattering way. Her hair was tumbling down her shoulders in soft curls with bold makeup adorning her face. Her lips were even more darkly painted than usual with her eye shadow matching the colour of her dress. She definitely looked the part. They had been tracking down a drug ring and finally had success in getting the name of the one who called all the shots in Starling City. When Felicity tracked him down, it turned out that their target, William Fox, was part of many illegal activities including prostitution, assault and kidnapping. So they decided to expose his entire operation but William Fox was a paranoid man. His house was adorned with state of the art security and his bodyguards, two of them to be precise, never left him alone. He was careful in his dealings and never left a digital trace or a paper trail hence Felicity had a hard time finding any dirt on the man. Oliver had become like a growling bear when two weeks passed with no avail so Felicity came up with this plan.

William Fox did have a weakness for blondes and every two weeks he would send some of his bodyguards to pick up an escort from the streets. He never preferred the ones from agencies. His bodyguards knew that they had to pick up the prettiest blonde around and their boss will be happy. And that's how Felicity found herself in that awful dress; looking the part. She looked into the mirror one more time and as she walked towards the rest of them waiting for her in the training room she kept chanting to herself that all she had to do was get in, copy all the files from his computer and get out with Oliver, Digg and Roy right outside the mansion listening in on her every move. She had done this before, she could do it again. When she came into the training room and cleared her throat slightly, all three men turned and looked at her with mouth slightly ajar. Felicity could feel herself turning red. She looked at Oliver and saw that the look of shock had turned into one of anger.

"Hell no; no, no, no. You are not going out in that dress, Felicity. I know I shouldn't have agreed to this plan in the first place. Look at that dress; it does not even have a back, it's too short and not to mention the front. No way in hell you are going out in that dress."

"Oliver, I have to look the part. And we can't go back on the plan now. We have been planning this for a week now. I can do this."

Felicity could see Oliver was having a hard time keeping calm. She could see his jaw tick with the anger coursing through his veins. When he spoke, his voice was dangerously close to that of Arrow without the modulator.

"Digg, get some sense into her. I will be waiting outside."

Felicity saw Oliver leave after giving her a dangerous glance which meant that she won't be getting a chance to argue on this and this made her angry. Oliver could not always get his way, this was her plan, her mission and she was going to see it through. That's why when Digg approached her; she cut him off before he could speak a word.

"I am doing this, Digg; with or without you. That man out there deserves to be behind bars. I can't let him plunger more girls into that world and I won't."

"I know, Felicity. I also know that you have done this a lot of times but I seriously have my doubts right now after seeing you in that dress. You go and stand there on the street and it's going to be a riot. I don't have the confidence that I can save you from every one of those sleaze bags so imagine how Oliver must be feeling."

"I will be fine and I promise that I will bring out all those moves that you have taught me if anyone approaches me."

Felicity placed a kiss on Digg's cheek and squeezed his hands to assure him that she could do this. She saw Roy looking onto them with a nervous glance and walked up to him.

"Are you sure you have to do this, Barbie? You do know that if something happens, the bear out there will go extra growly."

"I have to, Roy. This man is targeting girls who are Thea's age and I can't allow any of that. You know that better than anyone, don't you?"

"I do; but be safe; because who will protect me from Mr Growly Pants out there other than my overprotective mamma bear."

Felicity gave a small smile listening to this. She would never get tired of hearing Mr Growly Pants.

"Besides, what do I have to worry about when I have the three of you?"

It took them an hour more to convince Oliver after Felicity had relayed the plan to him for the tenth time. When they reached the place where Fox's bodyguards picked up the girls, Felicity hooked on the communication links and walked out onto the street. She could feel Oliver's eyes on her as she stood at the footpath waiting for their target. The other girls were definitely intimidated by her and Felicity could feel the plan working. She had to look confident and unnerved. That's the kind of women Fox liked. Fifteen minutes into the time frame, she saw three guys walking up to her with a sly grin on their faces.

Felicity talked into the comm link. "Guys, we might have ourselves some strays."

The three of them stood in front of her and Felicity could smell the stench of alcohol off their clothes. She smiled to them, a small smile because she had to maintain her cover before backing out and trying to get past the three who had closed in on her.

She did not even make two steps further when one sticky hand stopped her by placing it on her wrist.

"Let go before you regret this."

"Weren't you waiting for customers? Don't act so coy now. Come on, we will pay double. Have we met somewhere before? You look familiar."

Felicity was grossed out. She tried wrenching her hand free but for someone who was wasted, the guy had a strong hold. So she got ready to bust out all the moves she could think of but before she could even kick their asses, the other two guys came around and held her by her waist on either side. All of them had a strong grip and then they started dragging her away towards their car. Felicity stepped on one of the guy's foot with her heels and did the same with the other one. But that did not stop them; in fact their grip on her became tighter. That was going to leave a bruise.

"Let go of her while I ask nicely."

Felicity let out a deep breath when she heard Oliver's voice. He stepped in front of them, sharply dressed as Oliver Queen looking every bit like the CEO of Queen Consolidated. One of the guys who were holding onto her waist let go of her, walked up to Oliver and laughed at his face.

"And who the hell are you? Do people as rich as you even bother to come out to this part of the Glades?"

"I am asking for the last time, let go of her."

"Oh yea, if we don't what are you going.."

He never got around to finishing his sentence because the punch Oliver landed knocked him out cold. The other two got enraged and charged at him letting go of her but Oliver knocked them out as easily as the first one."

Felicity swore that she saw a glint of Arrow in his eyes as he approached her. He looked at her wrist and saw the bruise; which was making itself known. His face clouded with anger and Felicity knew that if she was not here, those guys would need a visit to the hospital. Oliver held onto her shoulders and looked her over checking for any other injuries. She placed her hand on his face letting him know she was okay and her voice dissipated some of his anger.

"Oliver, I am okay. Nothing has happened so don't think about beating those guys to a pulp, got it?"

"Let's get out of here."

Oliver took her hand in his and started leading her away from those guys towards their vehicle when Felicity stopped him.

"Oliver, we need to do this today. We will have to wait another two weeks if we don't do this. His men are not here yet so we have time, let me.."

Felicity did not get an opportunity to complete her sentence because Oliver's lips were crashing on hers. It was a desperate kiss which wanted to make sure that she was with him so Felicity kissed him back with as much fervour as she could. When he let her go, his eyes conveyed worry, relief and; was that a little bit of jealousy she saw in them?

"Felicity, please listen to me on this one. We can get him some other way but for now let's go home and get you out of that dress because every minute you stand out there, guys like these are going to flock around you. No one will be able to take their eyes off of you."

Felicity nodded and let Oliver steer her towards the vehicle. She could see the relief on Digg and Roy's faces when she got into the van. Half an hour later, she was out of that dress and in a comfortable Captain America tee and jeans. When she came out of the bathroom, Oliver was waiting for her outside with her wedding ring in his hand. Felicity loved the emerald encrusted ring in the shape of an Arrow. Oliver had it custom made even after she told him to no go so extravagant but this was Oliver she was talking about. He always said that when it came to her, nothing was too much.

"I feel so nervous whenever you don't have our wedding ring on."

"That is because you always think that everyone is going to start hitting on me if I don't have the ring on."

"It has happened way too many times already. Of course, I am going to think of it that way. I leave you alone for a minute and you become the centre of attention for every man. How am I supposed to not get nervous over this, can you tell me?"

Oliver wrapped his arms around Felicity's hips and brought her closer till she was flush against him. Felicity looked at his face and saw the smile forming on it.

"It's your fault for putting a restraint on such a wild woman."

"Well, what can I say? I am into all sorts of wild. But I am serious about this. Next time, you go out there wearing a dress like that; you might give your husband a heart attack."

"Just admit that you were jealous, Mr Queen."

"Of course I was. Have you ever seen someone as pretty as my wife, Mrs Queen?"

"I have it on good authority that she is the prettiest. Though next time, she might have to go out with a wig because people seem to recognize her."

"Well she is the woman who finally put a leash on the wild Oliver Queen. Of course she would be the talk of the town."

And with that Oliver leaned in and kissed her, a slow and embracing one. They broke apart when Roy came in and started making disgusting noises.

"I swear; you guys seriously need to get a room. Who would believe that both of you have been married for five years now with two kids? You guys are so into each other that it's disgusting."

"We are leaving now. Don't blow up the lair when we are not here, okay?"

"Ya, Mr Growly Pants. I am so glad that Mamma Bear is here safe and sound to save me from you."

"We are still going with these names?"

"Of course we are. I think it's kind of cute."

"Wouldn't be you if you didn't. Come on, let's go. The kids will be waiting."

They reached the mansion and went inside. Bella and Robert were sleeping as Thea read them a story.

"Hey. I am guessing things didn't go as planned since you guys are back so early. It was my brother who screwed it up, didn't it?"

"Well guessed Thea. Go ahead and give a lecture to your brother while I put the kids to bed."

Oliver kissed his kids goodnight as Felicity tried to put on pyjamas to their three year old twins and went down to have a talk with his sister.

"Speedy, was it you who gave her that dress?"

"Of course I was. She told me she was playing an escort and I helped her look the part. She gathered too much attention in that, didn't she?"

"Unwanted attention."

"Relax, big brother. She is wildfire and she is yours so don't be too sore. I am off, got a date with Roy. Ciao."

Oliver walked his sister out and went up to his room. Felicity was still with the kids so he went to take a shower first but as he passed beside their bed he saw her gym bad open with that darn dress on in the bag.

Felicity was tired and she needed a good night's sleep. The kids were a handful today and it took her little over half an hour to get them to sleep. When she entered her room, she could hear the shower running. Oliver was taking a shower so she walked herself to the closet and that's she saw that the dress she had worn today was laying on the floor with a hole in the middle of it. The bathroom door opened and Oliver stepped out in a towel. Felicity walked up to him with the dress in her and crossing her hands across her middle she demanded an explanation. Oliver explained to her that the dress had an unfortunate accident with the scissors all the while having a goofy grin on his face. Felicity could not help but laugh looking at his face.

"What am I going to do with you, Oliver Queen? You are worse than our kids."

"Then I should be glad that I have you."

Oliver closed the gap between them and lifted her up in his arms as he placed a string of kisses along her neck with the dress and his towel forgotten on the floor.

* * *

After the explosive season finale, I thought the least we could do was read and indulge in beautiful moments which are yet to come between our babies. Prompts are welcomed and needed. Thank you all! And please do review! They are turning out to be my bloodline.


	2. Chapter 2

**For you and I are Like Fire**

Felicity was having one of those days where she could just kick back on her chair, relax, catch up on the things that she had been missing out all the while running her searches on various legal loopholes which could help make her extraordinarily handsome hero; talk of the town billionaire again. She plugged in all the important files in her software and started catching up on some of her favorite shows; damn all of them aired their finales already? Where has she been? Oh right, she has been two busy pulling up two shifts in her neighborhood coffee shop because it turns out when the city has sustained substantial damage on the whim of a madman like Slade, hiring opportunities are scarce in companies especially when your resume pegs you as an IT professional with experience in the secretarial arts. There were no jobs open at the moment so Felicity had to survive by taking up shifts in the coffee shop. When she mentioned about her employment issues to Oliver, he became more determined than ever to get his company back; which Felicity would have found more than adorable if he hadn't ended up working the sift with her in the coffee shop and scorned at every customer looking at her ass or maybe even above that.

After a week, it became even more annoying because Oliver was hovering over her the whole time so right now, in the foundry, sitting in her chair, with no Oliver to breathe down her neck she plugged in her headphones and watched season 7 of Supernatural. Her co-worker had recommended the series and she was still lagging behind but she really enjoyed watching the series, she knew that the eye candy played a big role. This episode was extra hilarious because the Winchesters ended up in an alternate reality where they actually had to play themselves, the actors they were; hilarious was not the word. She was halfway through the episode propping her feet up on the table with her favorite star shaped adorned socks when Oliver sneaked up behind her. She was so surprised that she literally jumped off her chair and stumbled forward right into Oliver's arm; who was equally surprised by her screaming and stunts; that he landed on his back holding her in his arms. Felicity closed her eyes and felt the impact through Oliver when they hit the floor. Her heart was beating wild, sure that had nothing to do with the fact that Oliver had her wrapped up in his arms, and after a few seconds she opened her eyes when Oliver did not release the grip on her back. The first thing that caught her eye was a camera staring right into her face and zooming out steadily. What the hell? When did they have a camera in their foundry? She sat up when Oliver finally let go of her but couldn't move another inch from her position on the floor. What the hell was happening?

Everywhere she looked, all she saw was cameras and people staring at her and Oliver. Their foundry's roof was a makeshift roof and all she could see everyone recording all the details. So she turned to look at Oliver and saw him looking as confused as her. When the person behind a small TV shouted cut, that's when Felicity diverted her eyes from Oliver.

"Richards, that's marvelous I tell you. I know you both improvise but this is going to bring out some serious fangirl screams. Ah, the production team and it's woes to keep Oliciters happy."

Felicity knew that she shouldn't have reacted the way she should when she saw the stout man with an unkempt beard but she could not help herself. And that's how she found herself inching in close to Oliver as he put out his hand in front of her bringing her in even closer, his Arrow instincts in full swing. The stout man, who funnily looked like her boss at the coffee shop, laughed looking at them. Felicity knew that her first instinct had been to hide from him, especially what she went through Slade, but right now she felt like trusting the man in front of her completely without question. Oliver was the one who reacted before her bringing her up and setting her straight on her feet by her waist and keeping his hand securely on her waist. She won't deny that the warmth of his hand through the thin material of her blouse stirred thing up in her, but right then they had more pressing matters to deal with. She could see Oliver's eyes doing the whole Arrow routine and could feel him clenching his teeth. So she placed a hand on his and felt him relax a bit. The stout man, she will call him Mr. look-alike-of-boss for now, was the one who spoke to them first.

"Are we still filming? Is this a scene I don't know about or is it just you two again? And Stephen, can you stop giving me that look? I am going to have nightmares, I swear."

Felicity opened her mouth to ask the million questions running through her mouth but it was Oliver who addressed Mr. look-alike.

"Who are you?"

"Seriously, come on guys. Jokes later, okay. Go look over your lines or something; I am too tired for your jokes. And while you are at it, get Haynes out of here. He looks at himself in the mirror way too much."

To say that Felicity's brain was in a turtle-slow-mode was an understatement. She was smart, like really smart, she knew that but right then with her mouth hanging open looking at the direction where Mr. look-alike was pointing at she definitely looked like a retard. Roy Harper was sitting in a chair behind the cameras instructing what looked like make-up artists, yup definitely make-up artists, to touch up apply touch up to his face all the while looking at himself in a hand-held mirror. Felicity should not have laughed but this site made her crack up so hard that her ribs started hurting. Apparently, no one else found it funny that Roy was applying make-up because she was the only one laughing and everyone else just ignoring her.

"Marc, get these crazy cats out of here. And take Haynes too, his mirror just makes me want to hurl. I will see you two back in four, learn your lines. And no more improvising, I swear these Oliciters might even bring down the Internet with all these touchy feelings."

The Mr. look-alike sauntered off leaving an even more confused Oliver and her. Felicity look around the 'modified' foundry and found unknown faces, everyone working on one thing or the other, making her feel pretty awkward right then.

It wasn't until Oliver started directing her towards what looked like the entrance to the foundry that she finally registered her surroundings. The lights, the camera, the microphones, the makeshift roof, everything was exactly how she had seen a few minutes back in the episode of Supernatural. But how was this possible? They were in an alternate reality and judging by the looks of things, they were the actors in this show. This crazy reality where Oliver Queen and Felicity Smoak were mere characters played by people-who-looked-by-them-but-are-actually-not-them, okay, this was getting confusing. Felicity must have been talking all of this not just in her head because she felt Oliver tense and come to a halt with Felicity almost bumping into his wide back. He let go of the hold on her hand and whirled around with an 'are-you-kidding-me-right-now' expression on his face. They were out of the set now and it was chillier than she expected it to be so she couldn't help wrap her arms around her.

"So, according to you this is another dimension where we are actors who play the characters we truly are in another dimension?"

"Look around you, Oliver. This is the only thing that makes sense. All of this is because we are on a set and I can bet my life on the fact that we are actors playing ourselves. And if I am not mistaken, if we are actors with a decent enough show, then we might have a trailer somewhere around here so that we can try to figure what is happening, preferably before we freeze to death and before those crazy caahoss in there come at us again."

Felicity could see Oliver was a hard time wrapping it around the whole-crazy-freak-show going on but they had to get out of the cold because she could feel herself shivering. It was this cold and this is the kind of clothes she wore? If she was an actress, she really needed to get herself some warmer clothes. After searching for ten minutes, she finally found a trailer, which had the name Emily-Bett Richards written on it. She remembered the stout man, who is most probably the director she figured, had called her Richards. So this must be hers. She could feel Oliver chuckling at her alter-ego's name but totally ignoring him, she went inside.

The trailer was pretty spacious with furnishing that could make her apartment jealous and a laptop on the couch. She lunged for that piece of equipment. There was a lot of searching before her so she had better get started soon.

"I am going to try to figure out what we are, I mean our alter-ego's are. You try to figure out how we go back, okay?"

"I will do the searching, you try to figure out how we go back to the world of sane, okay?"

Oliver took away the laptop from her and settled himself next to her leaving dumping all the hard questions on her. She knew that all of this started with her watching Supernatural and then falling on top of Oliver, unintentionally, so maybe, maybe, if she watched the episode again and fell on Oliver, they could go back to home. That was the only way out of this; it had to work. She told her theory to Oliver who was more interested in whatever he was getting in his searches. After 15 minutes of endless searching, Oliver showed her a webpage of results on Emily Bett Richards. Apparently, her actor self was a famous name after all. She went through the image results and was even more shocked to see her pictures, looking extraordinary beautiful.

"That's me?"

"Yup, you are originally from Canada, you play the character of Felicity Smoak on a show known as Arrow and you are pretty famous among the fans."

"Oh.." That was all that came out of her mouth so Oliver proceeded to show her another webpage, this time containing the details on the show Arrow. They shot the show in Toronto, which would explain the cold. Stephen Amell played the role of Oliver and he was a star, unlike her whose popularity was just rising. The series was a very detailed account of Oliver's life, with her in it. So she guessed the alternate universe just thinks that all they went through was a writer's brain. Hahaha, they are so in for a surprise.

"Stephen Amell, huh? I like that name; you look like a Stephen. It says here that this show Arrow gets average views but it is famous on the Internet. Wait, what's Olicity?"

"Brace yourself, Felicity."

Felicity listened as Oliver explained to her that Olicity was a combination of both of their names and how they had a huge fan following pegging them to be together on the show. Felicity had heard of bizarre things but this was up a notch. There were people out there who wanted them to be together; wow; this was too much to take in. Oliver kept on showing her webpages dedicated to them and fanfictions, several thousands of them, all for them. There were several interviews of people wanting them to be together and not Oliver and Sarah. Felicity couldn't help but smile at herself looking at them; at least in this dimension she had a chance with him, granted it was fictional. Because in the dimension where she lived; Oliver Queen was inaccessible.

When Oliver was done explaining to her what impact they had on this show, he went on to show her, her alter-ego's instagram account. Her actress self really loved clicking pictures oh herself, who wouldn't when you that many followers, most of the pictures were with Roy aka Colton Haynes, who is an Olicity shipper too; she really was starting to like that name Olicity**; **along with the cast and Oliver sorry Stephen. Felicity could see that her pictures with Oliver were a sight to behold, sometimes taken at beaches or some place really pretty. So that's why she couldn't help asking the next question.

"Ah, Oliver? Is your actor -self-dating -my -actor self? Wow, I never thought I would ever be saying such a sentence like this. Some of these pictures look like we might be more than just friends."

Felicity saw Oliver hide a smile as he opened a Wikipedia page of Stephen Amell and scrolled it down to his personal life. It contained the usual like how he was from Canada, where he studied and how he met the love of his life while filming Arrow. Turned out that his love turned to the acting business too and is now his co-star in Arrow. Holy mother of freaking holy, Stephen Amell was married to her as in Emily Bett Richards. They married after a year of working together. Are you kidding me? In one dimension she could never get the guy and in this one, she gets the guy in real life with all the fans rooting for their characters also to be together. This was definitely some evil force of work trying to inceptionize her brain; there was no other explanation.

"There is no such thing as inceptionize, Felicity."

Felicity knew that her brain to mouth filter was definitely broken but right then she did not care. How could he be so calm about this? She was having a major freak out session but Oliver was just staring ahead with an amused expression on his face, which just pissed her off.

"How can you be so calm about this? What if we are stuck here for good, huh? We will be out of jobs because I personally don't know the A of acting and we will have to pretend to be a couple. A married couple on top of that!"

Oliver turned towards her placed his hands on her shoulder making her shudder, which to her embarrassment did not go unnoticed by Oliver.

"Calm down, Felicity. We will figure out a way to get home. We have to pretend till then which won't be too difficult. I mean, look at all the fans creating those pictures, we might be married already what will all the longing gazes and the 'plutonic' shoulder touching. They really did get each and every part of our life pretty accurate, didn't they? So let's just go find ourselves a Supernatural DVD and leave this place so we can joke about all of this with Diggle."

"Should I be worried that you seem too relaxed about this?"

Felicity was so not prepared for what came next. Oliver Queen, her dashing-ex-boss, placed a quick kiss on her lips. It wasn't even a kiss, it was more like a peck which was over too soon but that didn't leave her heart beating any less hard.

Her expression must have been one of utter shock because the next thing she knew, her hand was in Oliver's as he led her towards the entrance of the trailer. He looked back at her as he opened the door.

"Stop giving me that look, Felicity. We are married remember? So the least we have to do is hold hands and kiss once in a while and everything else will be okay. So, Emily Richards Amell, shall we go show some love?"

Felicity wasn't sure of her voice just then so she just nodded. Oliver gave her a wink with a smile and led her out of her trailer. Yup, Olicity was definitely a word she was going to hold on to for life, real or not real.

* * *

This was supposed to be a one shot but it just git away from me. I couldn't wait for my semester exams to get over to write this so I ended up writing it anyways. So I will probably end up making this a two chapter thing. This is a small tribute from my side to the great chemistry of Stephen Amell and Emily Bett Richards and Olicity. Please do review and let me know about prompts that you want me to write stories on because I am going to be super free soon. Thanks for all the reviews, you lovely people.


	3. Chapter 3

**Bound but not Restrained**

"Digg, uncuff us right now otherwise I swear on every one of my computers, I will make you peniless."

"No, not until both of you figure it out because I have had enough of showdowns for a lifetime. If I have to hear both of you have a scream match again I will return home partially deaf so both of you stay cuffed until I say otherwise."

Felicity looked down to the handcuffs joining Oliver and her. She had nothing to figure out with Oliver, especially since he had turned into a high-functioning jerk in the past few week so she looked back at Digg with the most ferocious looks she could muster hoping that he would spare her this charade but he didn't budge. That's how she found herself, an hour later, handcuffed to Oliver as she ran her search on their next target, with Oliver sitting in the chair beside her literally drilling holes in her computers by his gaze.

This was getting ridiculous. In the past one hour of being cuffed together, Oliver hadn't said a word to her about what an ass he was to her the past week. Not only did he make her work through the whole night almost everyday last week, always coming up with another person to send to prison as soon as he was done with the previous one, he even acted as a total jerk to her at QC by making her work overtime on presentations and projects that weren't due for months all together. Felicity sustained his dominance for a week but when Oliver asked her to research on his new target who had 6 months of sentence left in jail, Felicity lost her cool. She hadn't slept properly in a week, her weekend had passed buried in QC files, her date with her boyfriend had been rescheduled twice but Oliver wanted her to waste her time on monitoring some crazy dude's activity who hadn't even seen anything expect bars for three years? So she screamed at Oliver calling him out on his charade of torturing her and his reply was just a shrug. He just shrugged without even bothering to explain why he had turned into Mr. Jackass all of a sudden. The shrug had only flared her temper so she took it all out on Oliver and soon it turned into a screaming match. Roy had instantaneously backed out from the lair looking at Felicity's foul mood and Digg simply joined Roy after cuffing them together. Felicity could feel the cool of the metal at her wrist as they were cutting into her everytime she tried typing with both her hands as Oliver was being plain uncooperative and not moving his hand to help her in the typing process. So she typed whatever she could with one hand and waited for her search to give her something useful.

After what seemed like a decade but was only one and a half hour, Felicity finally decided that she is going to suck it all in and break the ice. So she scooted her chair an inch closer to his, finally getting a response from him as he turned his chair around to face her. Felicity took Oliver's cuffed hand in hers and tried searching for his eyes but he kept looking at their hands so she brought her hand to his face and lifted his head and was surprised to see a whirlwind of emotions in his eyes including an apology written all over his face.

"Oliver, what's wrong? I am right here for you, you know that right? You don't have to cage me to keep me close, I will always be there."

Oliver finally spoke, his voice deflated and defeated.

"I know, I know you and I am really sorry about the way I have been acting this past week. I am sorry Felicity, you need to know that."

"Do you want to tell me what's wrong? After that we can decide which bottle of wine do I deserve from the Queen wine cellar along with a big fat bump in my paycheck."

This got a smile out of Oliver which Felicity welcomed because brooding superhero with too much man pain was enough to handle for a week. He still had to tell her why he acted the way he did but she didn't push him. They sat there with holding hands till Oliver was ready to talk.

"I broke up with Laurel."

Laurel. Felicity should have known that this was the only reason which can make her hero, sorry Starling's hero, to brood. The perfect, dazzling and almighty Laurel. Felicity loved Oliver for a long time and after Oliver had told her that he loved her, even though it was all a ruse to take down Slade, she had felt that his words were more than a lie. The same lie he had been feeding her everytime she said that he deserved someone better. But Laurel came in and swept Oliver off his feet again and Felicity accepted their relationship and moved on from loving Oliver and always hoping for something more. She got strung up in a few relationships until Matt, who she had been dating for a year now. Matt was a nice and comfortable guy, an IT professional like her and she really loved spending her time with him. So all she ended up saying to Oliver was an Oh..

"I broke up with her a week back. It's over for good this time."

"That's what you said the last time too. No wonder you have been sulking like Granny-Pants. I thought you guys were doing great, maybe even take your relationship to the next stage. What did you do this time, huh?"

"I broke up with her this time and I don't plan on getting back together. And the reason for my sulking is something else."

"Oliver, are you sure? I don't want to advice you on who to date or not date but if you love someone you have to go all in without being afraid of anything. You never know when they might not be there anymore. So if you love her, go all in, damn all the consequences."

"Do you love him? The guy you are dating?"

"His name is Matt and I like him enough. What has that got to do with any of this?"

"Just humour me. Do you love him, Felicity?"

"Oliver, I can't say whether I love him or not. It's too early to tell but I do like him, like a lot. He is a great guy, maybe a bit simple but a good man and I still don't understand why you are asking me this so let's just stop it here. Speaking of Matt, I had better call Digg back. I am supposed to be meeting Matt in another hour. I will tell Digg we solved everything out."

Felicity tried taking her hand out from Oliver's hold but his grip became stronger.

"Let go, Oliver. I need to go."

"Before you go,I need you to listen to this."

Felicity was getting late but right then the man in front of her needed her more so she put her other hand on top of his and squeezed it letting him know she wasn't going anywhere, she will be right there with him. Oliver looked down at their joined hands and without meeting her gaze started talking.

"Before I went to the island, I was a different man. I was an Oliver Queen who was haughty, self centered and a cheap low life as a whole. I caused pain to so many but on that island I decided I won't be that Oliver anymore. So I held onto a picture of the woman I thought I will make amends to. I became a killer of many and before I knew it I forgot what love and goodness looked like. Taking a life changes you in so many ways that when I came back from the island I was a killer, a murderer and the woman I thought I loved wasn't the one I knew because I was a changed man. I had only darkness and nightmares with me and I never thought I could ever smile."

Oliver then looked up searching Felicity's eyes and a slight smile spread across his face as he continued on.

"But then, out of nowhere, I met this girl. When I saw her, without even realising it, I smiled. For a moment I forgot what I was so I kept on coming back to her. I kept on making excuses to see her. Slowly and steadily, she started creeping into my life and the darkness which I once thought was going to take away everything good, it started to fade. I became a hero for her. She made me better but when I told her I loved her and even though it was an act that's when it became too real for me. So I made up another lie and convinced myself not to love her. But now, I can't be afraid because no matter how much I try, I can't help but love her. I love you Felicity, from a very long time and I am sorry for taking so long. I know I might be too late but I need you to know that I will love you, forever and always."

To say Felicity was dumbstruck was an understatement. She could not see Oliver because of the tears forming in her eyes. She could feel his words ringing in her ears. Oliver has just told her he loved her. The Oliver Queen she had loved for so long, the one who was her hero and above all one the bravest and kindest man she ever knew, just told her he loved her. And all she could do was cry, stupid tears, they didn't seem to stop flowing.

"If you are going to cry like this, Felicity, if someone sees this they will think I just broke your heart."

Felicity had been looking down trying to get a hold of herself but on hearing this she looked into Oliver's eyes, which were watering up too, and gave a teary smile.

"Do you have any idea Oliver Queen, what a nuisance you are? Who gives a confession like that, huh? You just made a perfectly normal girl an emotional wreck."

"So, do you still love me? Or do I loose to an It guy whom I can employ? Don't forget that fact while making a decision."

Felicity could see Oliver smiling now, giving her a 'I-dare-you-to-choose-otherwise' expression. Felicity simple laughed getting her tears under control and then standing up to sit on Oliver's lap which took Oliver by complete surprise but he relaxed beneath her and put his hand around her waist.

"I always thought, I mean a part of me knew, that those words were real because you never denied them but as time passed, I thought that maybe it was all in the passing. So know this, I will always love you and believe in you. You are never too late."

And with that Felicity brought her lips onto Oliver's. He was taken aback but he relaxed and started kissing her back. His hands explored her back but the handcuffs restricted their movement.

"Eww, what are you two doing in the lair? Digg, mom and dad are making out in the lair. Come fast."

Felicity smiled into Oliver's lips before finally breaking apart. When she turned to Roy, frowning on their make out session but Digg gave her a knowing look. He walked up to them and took out the keys to the cuff.

"I knew these cuffs would be handy. At least, it got you two crazy cats to finally realize what all of us have known for so long."

"What do you mean all of you?"

"Oliver, come on. Even Slade figured out you love Felicity. You have to be a retard to not understand the longing looks you two give each other."

Felicity just smiled without getting off Oliver's laps. They still had a long way to go, lots of things to figure out and many things to overcome. But right then, they had each other.

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I was planning something else with this but it turned out this way. We all know that this is bound to happen but Oliver will need a push when it comes to saying the truth that his I love you to Felicity will always be more than just a ruse. Honestly, he would have been surprised too how much he meant those words. Anyways, thanks for the prompts and reviews everyone. Hope you enjoy this one because this one came from a special place.


	4. Chapter 4

**I Can Never Loose You**

Oliver Queen's oldest and most trusted were his nightmares. They were always static and haunting portraying him as the killer he was etched and moulded into, ferocious when pulling the string of his bow and finding a target for his crafted arrows. Oliver had repeatedly relived the moments and stared into his reflection in his dreams, hoping that the image staring back at him did not covey a monster. His nightmares took an erratic turn after the death of his mother sketching the creases of his grief onto his face. But Oliver Queen raged a war against the nightmare; challenging them to break down the man he was moulding himself into, the hero he was striving to be.

Time passed and Oliver's nightmares moulded into him becoming a part of the burden he would always bear. But when his nightmares started taking the breath out of the woman he loved, Oliver was driven to the edge of insanity. The first time he dreamt of losing her, of holding on to her body running blood Oliver forgot how to take a breath. He cried, he thrashed and he flailed but the nightmare continued. The second time, Oliver found himself outside Felicity's apartment watching her sleep and measuring her breaths. Her drawn curtains bathed her sleeping form with moonlight leaving him mesmerized due to the beauty and purity in her.

The nightmares continued, each time Oliver cried over the blood laden body of his love. When he was awake, his gaze on the woman he loved lingered a second longer than he would have allowed himself, his hand on her shoulder did not let go for a long time and his need to touch her became an instinct rather than a habit. He could feel her questioning glances towards him coaxing him to speak what was left unspoken but Oliver was unable to speak his fears. There were nights that Oliver cried himself to sleep and on one of those fateful nights when Oliver lulled himself back to sleep, he lived her death by an arrow through her heart, an arrow which bore his mark. This left him reeling and deranged with sleepless nights. It gnawed at him and Oliver became afraid to stare at his reflection in the mirror. When he saw her, her lifeless body with his arrow taking away her breath became his fear. So he ignored her, he became cruel and caused her pain. But she didn't leave him and with every painful word she became more forgiving staring into his soul and looking at his struggles.

The time for her to risk her life came too soon and Oliver found himself on edge. He screamed and fought with her but she said it was her choice so she would see it through. Oliver asked her to stop but every time she asked for a reason Oliver could not say those words and reasons so she held her ground and carried on. Digg noticed and dragged Oliver aside demanding his reasons so he told his best friend. He spoke of his nightmares and his fears; of how losing her would mean the end of him and of how he loved her. Digg had understood but it was Felicity's voice which had given him an answer after hearing his confession. She stood before him and placed his hand over her heart. She asked him to feel her heartbeat so Oliver did. He noticed the pace of her slightly racing heartbeat feeling the warmth spilling through him knowing she was alive. She then placed his other hand on her cheek and Oliver noticed an increase in her heart rate.

Felicity then met his gaze and told him that he was the only one who made her heart race. The one whose presence made her feel alive and not just exist, the man who could die protecting her and the one she was deeply and irrevocably in love with. The woman he loved, who he thought he never deserved, stood in front of him laying all her feelings down. Her eyes right then did not have fear or remorse for loving a broken man like him, they had determination and guilt, guilt for letting him go through his nightmares alone and determination which dared Oliver to challenge the love she felt for him. So Oliver gave into her completely and when he did his nightmares subsided.

A week later, Oliver completely gave into to Felicity and when he held her, he placed her hand on his heart. He showed her that their heart beats were in fact one and he wanted to wake up listening to it every day for a lifetime. That was the first time Oliver Queen, the Green Arrow, the man who loved a woman who was his only redemption, fell asleep holding onto her with his demons vaporizing along with his nightmares.

Oliver still wakes up sometimes in the middle of the night and searches for her. She is always next to him comforting him and holding onto him making him listen to her heart, making him believe she is completely his. Three years have passed since Felicity has been sharing his bed and Oliver always gets up when the first light bathes into his room and admires her sleeping form, the way the sun highlights her skin, the way she radiates with her blonde curves falling effortlessly on her back and the way she curls up into him. So he places a hand on her waist and brings her in closer listening to her steady heartbeat. Right then, he held his redemption in his arms, the woman to whom he lost his soul, the one for whom he became a hero. His nightmares will haunt him but their fear and pain had disappeared because Oliver Queen now knew not to be afraid and to love someone with all his heart.

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Somehow I ended up liking this fic more than necessary just because of it's sheer simplicity. I can imagine Oliver's nightmares becoming his source of sorrow especially when it's linked to Felicity. Thanks for all the reviews though.


	5. Chapter 5

**When The Dust Settles**

Laurel wasn't technically about to ask Felicity to commit a crime. It was the only way she could think of right then to implicate the murder on the one who committed it. Laurel had been on the trail of this guy for months who was as bad as any Starling City drug lord but there was no evidence which linked him to the crimes he had committed. So when a cop was murdered and he was caught on cameras a block away from the scene, Laurel knew that he was the one. So she pressed for an arrest warrant and dug deeper for physical evidence but the DNA test had come back negative. She knew that the murder was by him, she knew it in her guts and the man she was chasing only deserved the interior of a cellar the rest of his life anyway, so this was the only chance she had. If she didn't find any evidence by today, he was going to walk and Laurel knew that next time she won't be able to catch him. That's why she found herself in the foundry trying to convince Felicity.

"You just have to change the results in the database and send it to the DA's office. I will take care of the rest."

"I am not doing this, Laurel. I am not going to put away someone for a crime he might not have committed. But I can help you in getting him some other way, I am sure you can figure something out."

Laurel's expression was slowly turning into a frown as she looked down at the women sitting in her chair looking up at her through her glasses. She sounded adamant but Laurel pushed. She took out a file on the cop's murder and showed it to Felicity.

"You see that? He had a daughter and my dad had to tell her that she was never going to see her father again. If we don't do this, her dad's killer will walk free."

Laurel could see the conflict in Felicity's eyes as she eyed at the little girl's picture. She looked at it for a long time and then handed her the file as she got up from her chair and faced Laurel.

"I am sorry, Laurel. But I can't do this. I am sure we will find something else on him if we search hard enough but doing this is just wrong."

Felicity started walking away from her and Laurel could feel her temper flaring so she called out after her.

"You are such a hypocrite."

Felicity whirled around and Laurel could see that her words had cut in deep but she couldn't stop herself.

"You have broken many laws that can't be counted on my fingers and yet you tell me that this is different than what you do for this team? So don't you think that you lost the right to lecture me on what's right and what's wrong?"

"That is different from what you are asking me to do, Laurel. I do break laws more often than ever but I don't forge or tamper with evidence."

"If Oliver would have asked you to do this, there would have been no doubts. You would have done it in a heartbeat."

"Excuse me?"

"I know the way you look at him, Felicity. I wonder sometimes was he the reason you stayed onto this team. It's a shame that he doesn't reciprocate your feelings."

Laurel cursed herself after saying those things. She didn't want to hurt Felicity, she liked her but right then her anger had taken over her words. She could see that Felicity was restraining herself from saying something as mean as her but Laurel was telling the truth. Felicity had to accept it someday, Oliver did not like her the way she did. Oliver cared about her like his sister, Thea. But before Felicity could speak another word they were interrupted by Roy who walked in on their little spat. When he saw the look on Felicity's face, he paced towards her.

"Lis, what's wrong? What's going on here?"

"This has nothing to do with you, Roy. Butt out."

"Laurel, I know that you think that you are meant to be here now because the knowledge on Oliver's true identity but please don't think that you can walk in here as if you own us. And also remember this; you can never replace the one person who made us a team and a family. So I would appreciate it if you don't treat us like accessories that help Oliver."

Laurel's mouth was left ajar. A kid was insulting her. She thought she was being mean but she wasn't going to let Roy get away with this. But right then, she didn't have any retort. She couldn't think of anything and thankfully she didn't have to because Oliver walked in right then, freshly showered after his workout she guessed and invaded Roy's space who was still fretting over Felicity while Felicity was assuring him that everything was fine.

"Roy, this is no way to talk to someone. Apologize to her this moment."

"I am not going to apologize to anyone. You should have listened to her when she was talking to Lis. So she should be the one making the apologies."

Felicity could feel the tension build between the two hot heads standing in front of her. Oliver looked beyond angry; his jaw muscles ticked and he flexed his muscles so Felicity placed her hand on Roy's arm and turned him to face her.

"Roy, I need you to go from here now. And you shouldn't have spoken the way you did but we will have a talk about that later. Okay?"

"But Lis, she was being utterly mean to you. I can't let that go."

"Roy, trust me. You trust your Lis, don't you?"

"Of course I do. Who do I have besides you? And that's why I can't let her speak to my family like this. But if you want me to go, I will leave."

Felicity squeezed his arm and let Roy know she was going to be okay. Roy gave her a reassuring smile and stalked off to the training room to work off the heat. When Felicity turned to look at Oliver she could see that some of his anger had dissipated and pride. It was a fleeting moment Felicity coaxed her imagination for seeing things and instead concentrated on Oliver when he asked her what the hell was happening here.

"Ollie, I will tell you. It's just that…"

"Laurel, I think that I would like to hear it from Felicity."

Felicity felt Oliver's gaze on her as he placed his hands on her shoulders and squeezed them lightly urging her to speak. Felicity met his gaze and launched into one of her classic rambles all the time being aware of Laurel staring at her.

"Laurel has this drug ring leader in custody, Waziri, I guess that's his name; and she thinks that he murdered one of the cops investigating him. They caught him on CCTV a block away and that's how she got the warrant to arrest him but when the DNA tests were carried out, the results of it came back negative so Laurel wants me to change the results of the DNA test because if they don't find any evidence Waziri walks by tomorrow. But I refused, I mean I want to catch this guy too but I can't outright change the results of the test, can I? Maybe you can dress up as the hood and put the fear of God in him to confess or I can research some dirt on him and then we can definitely get the guy, can't we? I know I have broken a lot of laws while helping you but I have never bend the rules to put criminals away by this. Or maybe I do the same thing but don't believe that I do, oh god does this really make me a hypocrite? Anyways, none of this is her fault, maybe she is right after all, I might be worse than a hypocrite."

Felicity could feel Oliver's gaze on the whole time she was speaking while looking down. When she was finished, he simply let go of her shoulders and started walking towards Laurel.

Laurel face lit up as Ollie approached her. Ollie would understand her, he always had.

"Ollie, I was trying my best to put this guy away for good. Even if we find dirt on him he might never be charged with murder…"

"Laurel, have you been drinking too much?"

"What? What's that got to do with any of this? I can't believe you are asking me this, I have been sober."

"I would have been happier if you would have said that you were using again. Because the Laurel I knew would have never suggested anything like this."

"Ollie, I thought you of all people would understand."

"I don't understand and I never will. Felicity doesn't have to anything she doesn't want to. I hope you get that straight."

"All of you think she is so righteous, do you? She is the one who can never go wrong. Well guess what? Her way over the top colorful short skirts are fooling all of you. Diggle and Roy were already under her spell and now she has you fooled too. She has her flaws."

Laurel saw Oliver's eyes turn feral. She could not believe that Oliie, her Ollie, was glaring at her. He enclosed her wrist on her hand, a tad too tight for her comfort, and dragged her above the stairs. When they were outside, he let go of the death grip he had on her. Laurel literally jumped feet away when she heard the anger in his voice.

"Those people down there, Roy, Digg and Felicity are not just my team. They are my partners, they are my family and the one who holds all of them together is her. So don't you dare lecture me on her flaws. Heck, if it wasn't for her, I wouldn't have been Green Arrow, the hero you are so proud of. She was the one who put the mask on me and believed in me, not you, Laurel. She is the one who is always proud of me, not you. She gives me the strength to fight, not you. Look, I have always supported you, I have fought for you and I will always care for you but you have to stop thinking that I am even a tad bit interested in us getting back together. My heart beats only for one woman and that's her. It will always be her, always."

Laurel could not control the tears welling up in her eyes. She had been wrong, she had been so wrong and right now, looking at Oliver she knew he loved Felicity. In fact, he really loved her, a love which she had never received from him. She had always noticed Oliver smiling at Felicity and now she knew that those smiles were ones she had never received from him, even when they were together. So looked into Oliver's eyes and after she saw that those eyes were only going to search for a certain blonde now, she left. She reached her apartment and drowned herself in a bottle of wine knowing that this time, or any time from now, Oliver will never comfort her when she cried.

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Prompt was by anon on tumblr. This one is a hard one to write because I approaching Laurel as a character is always hard. But I hope, everyone enjoys it, especially Roy. I am proud of him in this one. Thanks for the reviews and prompts. Keep them coming! Kamsamida.~~~


	6. Chapter 6

**He Will Always Love Her**

Felicity could not breathe when she heard the bullets being fired through the comm links.

"Oliver, are you okay?"

There was only static for the next few minutes and Felicity forgot how to breathe. All her three men were out there and each moment she didn't her their voices, she felt herself sinking deeper.

"Digg, Roy, Oliver! Someone, are you all okay?"

"We are okay, Felicity."

"Digg; if you guys give me a scare again I swear I will just start following you to the field in every mission."

"Felicity, get the med bay ready. Roy has been shot."

"What? How bad is it? Will he be okay?"

"The bullet just grazed his stomach, he was lucky. We are coming home and he might need some blood. You know his blood group right?"

"I do. I will get everything ready."

Felicity did not remember much of what happened in the next couple of hours. Roy was sedated and the bullet removed, Digg working methodically to remove the bullet and suture the wound. It was a deep wound, eighteen stiches were required. He had lost a lot of blood by the time they could make their escape from the Triad so Felicity hooked Roy up for a blood transfusion. Roy slept soundly and Felicity collapsed in her chair due to exhaustion. It had been a long day. Digg left and Oliver, who hadn't spoken a word since he came into the lair, finally approached Felicity. He bent down on his knees and brought her in close. Felicity could feel the tension dissipating in Oliver as she run smooth circles on his back and combed her fingers through his hair.

"What happened out there? Do you want to talk about it?"

Oliver's response was to bury his head in Felicity's shoulders and bring her in even closer. Felicity definitely knew that something had happened, Oliver held her like this every time he thought that he would lose her.

"Hey. I am right here, Oliver. Look at me."

Oliver's breath coasted over her neck as he spoke. She could feel her stomach flip, it had been six months since they were together but he still had such a strong hold on her.

"I thought I will never see you again. That bullet was meant for me but Roy just came in between. He saved me, Felicity."

Felicity held Oliver for a long time and convinced him that Roy was going to be okay. She could feel Oliver's guilt seeping through her and his fears so she just held him. Oliver urged her to go back home and get some rest but instead she pushed Oliver, like literally pushed him, out of the lair convincing him that she was the one who needed to be next to Roy. Oliver pouted but Felicity wasn't falling for that one. After Oliver left, she took Roy's hand in hers and fell asleep.

When Roy got up, all he felt was the pain shooting from his stomach. Taking a bullet felt like that. He tried sitting and he could feel something warm against his sides and someone holding his hand. Thea? But when he could sit after grimacing in pain, he saw that it was Felicity. How could he forget he must have a lecture to listen to now since his Mama Bear is still here? Roy tried taking his hand out from hers and slipping away but it was of no avail. Felicity woke up and the first thing she did was level Roy with a glare.

"Stop staring at me like that, Barbie. And save me the lecture. I will have to anyways hear it from Mr. Green-leather-pants-Ken anyways."

"I guess that the near death experience hasn't righted your brain if we are still sticking with those names."

"Okay, throw it at me. I know you won't let me go unless I have heard the whole 'What-were-you-thinking-Roy' speech."

"It's better than being a training dummy for Oliver because I bet you after this; he is definitely considering that one."

"Whatever, you think a man can be given credit for saving someone's life around here. Instead I become a training dummy."

"Correction, it's a boy, not a man."

Roy frowned at Felicity. She always called him a boy and when Roy had called her out on it, she had simply told him that he had a long way to go and he will know the day he truly becomes a hero. So Roy guessed he wasn't there yet.

"Thank you, Roy, for saving him."

Roy didn't get a chance to retort because Felicity pulled him in for a hug which he welcomed. Roy hated hugs on a daily basis but if it was from Felicity, he never held back. Roy hardly remembered what being loved by his mother felt like but if it was as warm as Felicity; he really should have given his mom more hugs.

"Barbie, let go. If Ken walks in here and sees this, then I will be more than a training dummy."

"Oh please. You like these hugs and you know it. Why did you do this, Roy? Honest."

Roy was looking down but he knew Felicity won't let him get away without an answer so he looked into her gaze and told her the truth.

"I did this for you, Lis. I know how much you love him and I did this for her, for Thea. I miss her. It's been almost a year since she is gone and we haven't been able to track her down. I am loosing hope. I thought if I do this, she might come back. She might hear that I am hurt and come back to me. I don't know how Oliver is holding on but I am breaking apart without her. I always thought that if I become a hero, someone she can be proud of, she will come back. But now I am not too sure."

Roy felt Felicity's hand on his as she gave them a light squeeze.

"Oliver knows that Thea will come back and you need to know that too. You are young, Roy. Go out there, fall in love, get your heart broken but a part of you will always love Thea. Let that part hope; don't let it fall to despair. And the fact that you always knew how to love kind of makes you a good person but now you know how to show it. So someday you will be a hero. And I have always been proud of you, kid."

Roy watched as Felicity left him with her words and Roy finally understood that he will always have her, the one who will always believe in him, and the one who will shape him into a hero. That day Roy Harper learnt what hope was and he never let it go.

Three years passed and Roy wasn't a boy anymore. He was the man his Mama bear had always told him he will eventually become. As Roy stared into the sharply dressed man staring back at him from the mirror, he smiled. He was the owner of Verdant, the most popular club joint in Starling City. He had his heart broken a few times in the past three years but he still waited for Thea with a part of his heart already with her. She would come back, he knew that. And he will be right here waiting for her.

Roy had been called a hero many times by many people but he would never forget the day Felicity, who was bruised and bleeding, had called him a hero. Slade had come back and Felicity had been the collateral damage. He had tortured her and when Roy saw that, he lost it. He worked together with his team like a well-oiled machine to bring down Slade. Roy was ready to take his life when Felicity had called out to him while spurting blood and trying her hardest to stay awake. She had called him a hero and Roy had simply let go of Slade and handed him over to the authorities.

Now, as he walked her down the aisle to a waiting Oliver, Roy looked at his Felicity and couldn't stop smiling. Smiling used to be one of the hardest things for him but now it came as easy as his name. She was the most beautiful woman in that dress. He placed her hand in Oliver's as Digg also beamed with a proud smile as he officiated the wedding. Felicity placed a kiss on Roy's cheek and thanked him for being there for her and Roy simply nodded. The entire day he had a wide grin on his face as he watched his Mama Bear dancing in Oliver's embrace. He had a lot to thank her for and he would always be in her debt, he would always love her and would always go to her when he is broken, her embrace would always be warm for him. Roy attended to the guests at the wedding and danced with many but it was a scrawny girl that he spotted looking on to the festivities from the edge which made his heart stop. The girl he was waiting for had been back and as Roy ran after her retreating form, he knew that he was saved. He had a family in his team, a mother and a sister in Felicity and now his heart in Thea.

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Prompt by anon. Whoever suggested this, I thank you. I got to show everyone that Roy can be so much more and hopefully he will be. And he will always love the family he has got in the team! So thanks again anon!


	7. Chapter 7

**When the Dust Settles Part 2**

You would probably want to read When the Dust Settles to understand this story. This one is from Oliver's POV, I felt that I had to write this to complete the story.

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Oliver could hear the thunder prominently now. It was going to rain but an even bigger storm might have been raging in him. Did he just confess to Laurel that he was in love with Felicity? This was going get harder from now. He wanted Laurel off his back and he could see that his words had stung her but Oliver needed to stop lying, at least to her. But he had to continue lying to Felicity, telling her he loves her will put her in even more danger. He could never do that to himself, he needed her safe. As Oliver walked down the steps to the lair, he thought of the day he had told her he loved her. Granted, it was all a ruse but the true meaning of those words was slowly unravelling and Oliver could feel his desires to be with Felicity but she was everything he could never be for his team and they needed her. He could never tell her how he really felt. Not now at least.

Oliver searched for Felicity and found her talking to Roy. He could hear them arguing and a streak of jealousy went through him. Since when were they this close? He knew that they loved each other as siblings but it was still unfair that Roy became her black knight and not him. That should have been him. He could clearly hear Felicity's voice now as he waited in the shadows of the training room.

"Roy Harper, you are going to apologize to her tomorrow. I will take you to her apartment otherwise, I swear to you, I will get Thea on this and you know better than me how she nags."

"You rope in Thea or even the Big guy, I am not going to apologize, Lis. She deserved it, in fact I should have said some more while I was at it."

"She didn't deserve it; why are you doing this?"

"Lis, it's been a year since Laurel has treated us like trash and you always take it. You never complain and you never fight. You think I am just going to let her walk in here and boss us around and call you a hypocrite. After Thea, I only have you, Lis. I can't let her treat you like this; it's bad enough Oliver supports Laurel for everything. He lets her barge in here and tells us how we should work when she contributes to nothing except flirting with Oliver rather than training with him, so I am not going to apologize. Period."

"Ah, you are infuriating. You are worse than Oliver."

"When it comes to the ones I love, I am worse than a grizzly."

Oliver watched as the tension in Felicity's body dissipated as she laughed with Roy. A kid had just shown him what it means to love someone, a kid who had been so far gone that Oliver had almost given up on him. And it had been a year since Oliver had heard Felicity's laughter. Laurel was in the lair almost every day and the talks that Oliver used to have with Felicity had reduced down to none that he wasn't even sure what was going on in her life anymore.

"No one deserves to be treated like that, Roy. So you will apologize, for me, for your Lis. And I am not weak, Roy. You don't need to fight my battles for me; I don't stand up to her because Oliver loves her. We have to get used to her being around us and I know how it feels to love someone who is broken and try to piece him back together. That's why I listen to her because she is the one Oliver needs.."

"And he is the one you love. I still don't understand what you like in that Mr Grumpy-leather-pant. You deserve better, way better."

"Roy, he deserves the best because he has seen hell and lived through it. He needs someone who can touch his scars and not be afraid. I am not meant for him so let Laurel heal him."

Oliver could feel his chest tighten into a knot. The woman he loved thought that she didn't deserve him. How wrong could she be? She was the best thing that ever happened to him and even if Oliver could not say he loved her, he needed her to know that he was a hero because of her and she was the one who picked him up when he was stumbling, only her.

"Laurel can never heal me."

"Oliver. What are you doing here? Wait, how long have you been listening to all of this?"

"Long enough, at least I have the courage now."

"I can't believe you just eavesdropped on our conversation and then if that wasn't enough, barge in here like this. I swear I am raising a litter of puppies that I can't train. Roy Harper, you are coming with me tomorrow otherwise I am grounding you for a month and Oliver Queen, I am leaving and don't you dare follow me. You should reflect on what you have done wrong, I can't believe you listened to all of that."

And with that Felicity left and all Oliver saw was a ball of fire walking past him. When he turned to Roy, he had a smirk on his face.

"Good luck getting that one under control. Oh man, grounded for a month? That's so unfair. I guess I had better get duct tape and try freezing my face in the 'I-am-terribly-sorry-expression'."

Oliver barely listened to Roy as he ran after Felicity. She had already left so he took the stairs three at a time and stepped outside. It was raining heavily so Oliver ran to the parking space of Felicity's car and found her rumbling inside her purse for keys. She was soaked wet and as he approached her, he could see that she was crying. She saw him out of the corner of her eye.

"Go away, Oliver. Just leave me alone."

"I won't leave you alone, I have done that for a year unknowingly so let me make it up starting today."

Felicity whirled around and faced him now. He could see that she was shivering because of the rain soaking her but now she looked angry.

"I have never asked you to stay with me. We are a team, I am your partner and I have no problem with Laurel. I understand that you love her and you need her so I have never even felt a bit bad that you haven't spoken to me properly in a year, because you need her. That's what partners do."

Oliver invaded her space in one quick stride and pinned her to the car. He could feel the effect he was having on her but he didn't budge.

"You think that the past year has been easy for me? I wanted everything to be back the way it was but Laurel kept dominating so I put up with her and the more she tried to come closer, the more I walked away. I thought I owed her because I had done many wrongs but you can never be more wrong about me needing her. How can you forget that you were the one who put my mask and called me a hero? You guided me; you cared for me and believed in me when no one else did. That's not something I can forget, Felicity. There is not a day which passes by when I don't want to see you smile, when I don't miss you and when I don't want to embrace you. I have survived because of you, I am the man everyone, including Laurel, is proud of because of you and I know how to love because of you. Don't you ever forget that and say I deserve better because till I die, you will always be the best thing that ever happened to me. I thought I can hide how I feel but I can't do that anymore. You are so smart then how can you not see that since the day I have met you, I have only smiled because of you, not anyone else. I tried loving someone else but I can't do that anymore because I love you."

Oliver was having a hard time focusing because of the rain patting down on them but when he felt Felicity's lips on him, he melted. He had kissed many women, more than he could count, but right then and there his heart beat increased like crazy and he could feel himself shiver when Felicity ran a hand through his hair. Her lips felt softer than he imagined them to be and he knew right then, that he could never let her go. He would protect her by being with her and that was a promise.


	8. Chapter 8

**For Loving Someone Is Not That Difficult **

Она является причиной, я дышу,

Она является причиной я живу,

а не просто выживать,

Она мое искупление,

Она мне во спасение.

"You know, if you keep on speaking Russian in that voice, the kids will never sleep. They will just gape at you like I do. What do you tell them all the time that they don't want me to ever read them a bed time story?"

Felicity placed a tender kiss on her two daughters as they listened to their father with adoring eyes. As Oliver sat at their bed with the two of them on his either side Felicity saw the resemblance they had to their father. Anna, being 3, looked so much like Oliver with blue eyes and blonde hair that Felicity had a hard time telling them apart. Lizzy, being 6, on the other hand looked like her, with long brown curls tumbling down her shoulders.

Felicity sat herself down at the edge of the bed and listened ad Oliver continued on with his poetry in flawless Russian. He was mesmerising in every way. No wonder her daughters didn't want her to put them into bed. Oliver slowly and steadily completed his magic on their girls and they tucked in their sleeping girls into bed and kissed them goodnight.

Felicity closed the door behind her and followed Oliver to their bedroom. He sat on the chair next to the crackling fireplace so she sat on his lab and started running her hand through his stubble.

"I am serious, Oliver. What do you keep on reading to them?"

Felicity felt Oliver hum as he tightened his hold of her around her waist.

"Nothing. It's just something I picked up from an old friend."

"Sounds like a poem."

"It's a peice of writing which I am love with."

"Come on, Oliver. Do you want me to die of curiosity? What is it?"

Oliver laughed and Felicity knew that his laugh was still one of her favourite sounds.

"Oh, Felicity. Always the curious one. No wonder Lizzy always asks so many questions. She is exactly like her mom. And it's just a writing from a tale of how a man broken beyond repair met a woman who put him back together. Sounds familiar?"

Felicity scanned her brain for all the stories she could think of but she hadn't heard of this one so she shook her head earning another laugh from Oliver.

"Wow, an IT genius and can't figure this out. It's our story. I tell the kids about us, about you."

Felicity felt a warmth swell in her belly as she looked into her husband's eyes and found that he was telling the truth. She couldn't hide the surprise in her voice.

"It's about me?"

"Why do you sound so surprised? Of course, it's about you. You were the one who has pieced me back together, bit by bit. I would like our children to always know that."

"What does the writing say?"

"Come on, wifey. I can't let the whole secret out, can I?"

Oliver then placed a hand below Felicity's knees and carried her to the bed.

Felicity's curiosity got the best of her. She recorded Oliver's voice while he was talking to the kids and translated it. That night, when she was wrapped in his embrace Felicity read out the writing to Oliver.

'She is my reason to breathe,

She is my reason to live and not just survive,

She is my redemption,

She is my salvation,

She is the one I truly love."

Felicity had already cried when she read it but right then, reading them in front of Oliver, she could not control her tears. She felt silly but Oliver slowly wiped away her tears and placed her on his lap.

"I don't deserve this, Oliver. This is too much."

"Of course you do and I need our daughters to know this too."

"But why?"

"It's simple, Felicity. You gave me a family, you saved me from my demons and you loved me unconditionally. When I look at you everyday, I realize how lucky I am to have you. So you deserve more, much more."

It had been 7 years since they had been together but Oliver never failed to surprise her. When Felicity kiss him, he kissed her back letting her know that she was his everything.


	9. Chapter 9

**Being With You **

Felicity first noticed the shift in Oliver's behaviour when his gaze on her lasted a second longer than usual and his hand on her shoulder or cheek lingered a moment longer than before. Things were changing and she could feel it. Oliver had told her he loved her and even though it was a ruse, a part of her wanted to believe it was more than that. So she waited for Oliver to deny that he felt nothing but he didn't. A year passed and Felicity got tired of waiting so she moved on. She made herself believe that it was all just an imagination especially after Oliver started dating Laurel. There was even a time she walked in on them at the wrong time in the training room. That's when she knew Oliver's words had been nothing but a ruse and his touches had been her overactive imagination.

After this fiasco, Oliver learned how to ignore Felicity. Their usual conservations had become rare and after this, Oliver never met Felicity's eyes, he never talked to her except about work, both as his executive assistant at work and his partner at night. So Felicity shifted back to the IT department. Their nightly activities were not so hectic as before especially with Roy and with nothing left to be said between Oliver and her, she found her old job comfortable.

A few months passed and Felicity blended into the routine. She even found someone in the IT department. Her night job had become more peaceful than ever and that's how she found herself alone with Oliver as Digg and Roy ran patrols. As she sat in her chair monitoring their movements, she was surprised Oliver approached her out of the blue and shut off her comm links and whirled her chair around to face him.

"What the hell, Oliver?"

Oliver did not answer at first and after pinning her down with his gaze, he left without saying a word to her.

Felicity was left reeling in shock as she looked at Oliver's retreating form. What the hell was that supposed to be? He pretends like she doesn't exist for a year now and when he actually wants to have a conservation, he just leaves? This fact made Felicity angrier than she should have been so she just reacted. She marched to the training room where Oliver was warming up, shirtless, looking ever so delicious. Concentrate Felicity, she thought as she levelled him with her angry stare.

"What the hell was that supposed to be?"

"Nothing."

"Don't you dare say that, Oliver Queen. You refused to see my face and completely ignore me for months now and when you actually face me, you don't even say a word. Not even a damn word. And if you say nothing this time, I will make it hurt in places you won't be able to forget."

"Think it was a mistake and forget about it."

"A mistake? That's what you want me to think it as? You don't even speak to me straight face for a year, completely ignore me for the last couple of months and right when I actually think you might want to sort it all out, you do this. Just tell me what it is that I did so wrong? Walked in on Laurel and you eating each other faces? Well guess what? That was all on you. You don't bring your great girlfriend to the training room where other people also need to be so don't go blaming that one on me. You chose Laurel so just be happy with her but I still don't get the fact that why do you have to ignore me for her? You know what, Queen, I have had enough. When you said you loved me and it all turned out to be a lie, I tried my best to believe that it was. But your eyes said different so I waited but I can't wait forever. I have seen you with other women and lived through it, I didn't even expect anything but when Laurel came into your life again I made myself believe it was my imagination, your lingering gazes and touches were just my damn imagination and I moved on. I learned how to be happy, I found someone. So you should learn this too without behaving like a child about it."

Felicity felt relieved. It was finally out, he knew she had wished his words were true and she didn't feel ashamed. If she had to stop harboring feelings for Oliver, this has to be her first step. Oliver didn't meet her gaze, instead he held onto her wrist and led her to the mats in the training room. Felicity tried to protest but he didn't let go. Instead he sat down on the mats pulling Felicity into his lap. She tried her hardest to get out but his grip on her waist grew tighter.

"Just two minutes. Give me two minutes."

Felicity stopped protesting when she heard Oliver's voice. It had various emotions whirling in them but all Felicity could hear was pain. So she placed her hand on top of his and squeezed them lightly.

"Oliver, what's wrong? Talk to me. "

"I need you to be safe, I need you to be happy. Being with me will bring you pain and I care about you too much to let that happen."

Felicity turned around without removing herself from Oliver's lap and placed a tender hand on his cheek. She forced his head up to look at her, her eyes which were filled with tears.

"But can't you see? You have hurt me by not being with me. I can take all the pain of it means I can be with you. It's my life and it's my choice and I had chosen you."

Felicity could see that Oliver still had his doubts. But it was too late for them, she knew that.

"But you have Laurel now and I have William. I guess we lost the chance to be with each other. I knew that you felt something and I am glad we both know that now but it's time we moved on. Just promise me that you will never ignore me like this again. I don't deserve that."

Felicity did not have the courage to look into Oliver's eyes so she tried getting up but Oliver did not let go. Instead he gently ran his fingers through her hair and laid them aside as he placed a string of kisses on the back of her neck. Felicity's body reacted to his touch sending shivers down her body and her breath hitched.

"Oliver, what the hell are you doing?"

"Showing you its not too late. That its never too late."

"What?"

Oliver simply laid another string of kisses, now along her back before replying to her.

"Whenever I touch you, your breathing becomes shallow, your heart rate increases and you shiver. Your body reacts to my touch. So does mine, each and every time you touch me. I have been with many women but no one can ever affect me the way you do. There hasn't been a moment when I didn't want to hold you and hear you say my name but I was scared, scared that you will see the man I am in my nightmares and disappear like the way you do in them. So I held back and I tried loving Laurel but I couldn't because I love you. And now I won't be afraid to say it because not being able to see you has been the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. That's why I came to you, I needed you to know that I was done keeping you at arms length. We don't have a forever and that's why I want to spend every waking moment with you. I know that now."

Felicity's head reeled with thoughts as Oliver brought her in even more closer till her back was flush against his shirtless front and then gently laid her down still holding onto her by her waist. When Felicity turned around she found herself facing Oliver's chest as he tucked her into him and placed a kiss on her forehead and rested his head on hers and drifted to sleep. Felicity wanted to hear him say those the words again just to believe this wasn't all a dream but instead she placed her head on his chest and closed her eyes breathing him in. They still had many things to figure out but right then, she didn't care. She was sleeping in Oliver's arms as he held onto her even more tightly protecting her from anyone who might take her away from him. That's when Felicity knew that sleeping in his embrace was one thing she was meant to do. And she was glad that Oliver knew it too.

* * *

I recieved the prompt on tumblr. Thanks for all the lovely reviews people.


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